The Organ and the Emperor: On Immortality, Power, and the Price of a Human Life

The Organ and the Emperor: On Immortality, Power, and the Price of a Human Life By Ivan Carlos Possamai --- Prologue: The Whisper That Wasn’t Meant for Us It was one of those moments history loves to hide in plain sight. Two men — leaders of vast nations, architects of their own political immortality — strolling side by side in Beijing’s September sun. Cameras rolled, flags waved, soldiers marched in perfect synchrony. And then, a slip. A microphone, still live, caught words that were never meant for the public ear. “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” said Vladimir Putin. Xi Jinping replied, “Predictions are, this century, there is also a chance of living to 150.” It was casual, almost playful. But the air around those words was heavy. Because when the powerful speak of immortality, they are rarely talking about poetry or legacy. They are talking about staying...